PhantasyDreamer: Happy New Year to everyone and all the best for 2010! This is my first update for the new year and also on my birthday as well. So this is also a gift to myself. I apologize for not updating in over so long but a lot has happened in my life to cause me to not get my stories done like how I would like to.

Anyway without giving you guys anymore excuses, here is the new chapter for this story. Please note that there are some changes I have made. I have changed Naruto's age to twenty one and Hinata's age to twenty. I've thought about it long and hard and came to the decision after something I have read. So if you have read the previous chapters and see that there is a new age in this chapter, just know that I will make the corrections as soon as I can.

Well I don't own Naruto, just the plot. Enjoy!!

Hidden Power in a Shy Flower

Chapter 4: A Weird Mission

Last time: She buried her face into the crock of his neck as she continued to cry her heart out. A large cloud slowly moved causing the full moon to shine its light on the river and on the two teens below. Naruto didn't care how long he had to stay with Hinata he wasn't leaving until she felt at least a bit better. No matter what he wasn't going to abandon her.

'Hinata, I don't know what's going on in your home but I promise to protect you at all cost.' he thought as he stroked her hair lightly. 'Thanks for everything Naruto, I just wish that it didn't take my change of attitude and dilemma for you to finally notice me more.' she thought savoring the scent of miso ramen on his jacket.

The story continues…

Hinata let off a heavy sigh. She wasn't expecting this at all. Here she was in the Hokage's office at seven in the morning for some unknown reason but she still found her way there. Lady Tsunade had not discussed the reason she had summoned the young people instead she had just requested that they arrive at her office first thing in the morning. It had been two days since the crying incident on the bridge with Naruto and after that she had tried her best to accept her horrible fate, having an arranged marriage to a stranger. She had not seen Naruto after that incident and had just assumed that he was out training or something.

She turned to her left to see Sakura, Ino, Naruto, Kiba and Shino together waiting for the Hokage to start speaking. Obviously, it was a mission assignment but she just couldn't figure out why it required so much of them.

'Oh, I hope Hinabi's feeling better.' she thought sadly, playing with her fingers.

The dark purple haired girl turned her gaze up towards the Hokage to see her frowning while taping her nails harshly on the table. Everyone could see that the Hokage wasn't too happy about this predicament but they remained calm. She was angry as they could tell by the way she was tapping her fingernails on the desk. Everyone remained silent waiting for her to begin her speech.

She immediately cleared her throat and began speaking.

"I've called you all here for a mission." she said while the others stared at her immensely, "The ANBU Black Ops have been investigating a possible Orochimaru infestation over the last couple of months. We believe there is an orphanage somewhere off in the Land of Tea that is recruiting special needs babies and young children. They are experimenting on the children to create soldiers of war. They have disguised their operation as an orphanage in order to not be detected."

She paused a minute, placing both hands under her chin.

"The thing is we have been monitoring this situation closely and we feel that now is the time to take action. We can eliminate their forces and close down their compound for good."

She moved her right hand towards her drawer and pulled out a small manila folder. Opening it, she turned her golden eyes upwards.

"Hinata!!" she yelled, causing the young girl to shriek.

"Ah-Yes."

The blond haired woman nodded with a slight smirk on her face, "You remember Mr. Tsukino…don't you?"

"Why…y-yes…" she paused, feeling a bit embarrassed by her stutter, "I do remember him…yes."

"Well it appears that the same thing has happened yet again." she heard a gasp from Hinata, "His daughter has been kidnapped. Princess Sukina was abducted by someone in the royal household."

"Oh."

"Mr. Tsukino is here and will take you all towards the orphanage he believes his daughter resides at which is a far off to the east of this village." she stated, hastily, "This is a B rank rescue mission and I expect a full report when you all get back. Each one of you is required to play apart in this mission. Rescue Mr. Tsukino's daughter and get out of there. The Anbu Black Ops will follow after you as soon as your rescue mission is completed. They will proceed with shutting down this operation for good."

They all nodded in response. The blond haired woman then cleared her throat trying her best not to show how stressed out she was. She also ignored the glares she was getting from her dear friend, Naruto. She knew he was upset because she had disrupted him from his training but that this matter was of great importance. It didn't matter whether he thought the mission was important or not.

"I want two ninjas to play the part of the parents while another ninja will transform into a baby. I recommend Hinata for this position. Her Byakugan will come in handy for the leading investigation and also since she is very much familiar with Mr. Tsukino's daughter, there would be no problems in rescuing her. The posing parents are up for grabs. Meanwhile the remaining ninjas will scout the area and stand on guard to provide backup if necessary. Is that understood?"

She asked as they all nodded in response. Naruto grumbled but remained quiet.

"Shino will be the leader of the group. If there are no questions, then that is all. You're all dismissed."

The six young people left the office and headed to the outer part of the building where they met Mr. Tsukino, who was waiting patiently for them. In silence they rushed home for their bags and personal belongings and then proceeded to meet up at the village gates a few minutes later.

~*~ VILLAGE GATES ~*~

The young dark purple haired girl tapped her foot impatiently while waiting for a certain blond haired boy to meet her and her teammates at the village gates. They had been waiting almost twenty minutes and were getting pretty annoyed. Kiba, Shino and Ino could be seen standing still with a bored expression on their faces. While Mr. Tsukino stood still with his arms folded impatiently. He had long black hair that trailed down his back. Turning away from him, Hinata noticed that Mr. Tsukino resembled her father very much in his appearance. She sighed.

'Oh Naruto, what's wrong with you now?'

"What's taking him so long?!!" Sakura yelled, placing her hand on her forehead to block out the sunlight from her eyes, "He's always late!!"

"I'm sure he has a valid reason for being late." Hinata whispered as she bowed her head in defeat.

"Yeah right. He always does this."

Another twenty minutes later, Naruto strolled towards his fellow teammates whom had looks of anger and disappointment on their faces. When he saw their expression he immediately began laughing in embarrassment. He scratched his back trying his best to lighten the mood.

"Uh…sorry you guys. I just got caught up with something."

'Wonder what that could be?' his pink haired teammate thought accusingly.

He grinned widely earning a glare from Sakura. The others just scoffed deciding it was best not to give a response.

"Since that's done, let's head out." Shino, the team leader replied almost in a whisper, "We're already late as it is."

Naruto ignored his statement and immediately began trotting ahead of the gang. They all followed soon after and began heading towards the village gates in silence. This was definitely going to be a difficult mission.

~*~HYUGGA'S HOUSEHOLD~*~

Hiashi sat up in his bed suddenly feeling a striking pain hit him hard in his lower back. He bit back a yelp and rubbed the area where the source of the pain came from. Turning to his left, he placed his legs onto the floor and sighed. This was his regular routine, everyday it was a pain to get out of bed and he was slowly beginning to lose feeling in his upper arms and legs. He wiped his forehead and thought back on what happened the day before. Having to tell his daughter the news brought such heartache to him but he refused to let her see that. He didn't want her to know how much he was hurting when he saw the expression of shock on her face when he told her whom she was to marry. The thought of his first-born getting married to his worst enemy ripped through his heart like a two edged sword. What could be worse than that? Slowly, he placed his hand on the edge of the bed to steady himself. He frowned as he watched his nervous arm shake tremendously.

'When will this ever stop? Hasn't Lady Tsunade found a cure as yet?'

"Hiashi dear, are you alright?" came a voice, sliding the door widely across the threshold.

A tall red haired woman stood in front of him with a wide grin on her face.

"I'm fine. Where's Hinabi? I haven't seen her lately."

He asked suddenly, unaware of how desperate he sounded.

His wife walked slowly into the room making sure to slide the door close behind her. She let off a sigh wondering how she should relay the information to her husband of a few years. Her light pink kimono swished with her every movement.

"Uh…" she paused, earning a glare from the man before her, "She's taking a rest. She's been real tired lately."

Hiashi arched and eyebrow in surprise.

"Why so? What has she been doing?" he inquired, arching an annoyed eyebrow.

Haruna giggled as she placed a cup of tea on the small table next to Hiashi's bed. He narrowed his eyes at his wife's gesture and frowned. Why was she laughing and what did she mean by that? He cleared his throat figuring it was best to find out why. Besides, something didn't seem right by the way she reacted. And since he had last delivered the dreadful news to Hinata he had not seen his children much, instead he had retired to his room unable to bear the pain of moving around. He last saw Hinata last night though, before her mission and that proved to be a dreaded encounter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, curiously sounding a bit mad.

"It's just the expression on your face, sweetheart." she whispered, giving him a peck on the cheek.

He watched her cautiously and wondering if she was lying. For some reason it felt as if she was trying to hide something from him but he couldn't tell what it was. He figured he was just being delusional because of his illness.

Sighing, he tried to hide how much he missed having a woman in his life. Although, he was married to Haruna for a few years no one knew that he still wasn't over his first wife, the mother of his two children. She was so kind and gentle, completely nothing like his present wife. He almost found the predicament he found himself in to be quite weird. A few years back he had met Haruna on a mission and had reluctantly rescued her from the enemy forces. After his mission was completed he returned to the Leaf Village and was surprised to see Haruna there in the hospital. He had visited her once out of pity and had refused to go back to check up on her afterwards. Besides, it wasn't as if he had feelings for her. Unfortunately for him, after she was released from the hospital she continued to visit him despite his request to not see her. She soon proved her worth and registered as a Leaf Village citizen. One year and a half later they began dating and got married two months after that.

"I'll let you know when you can see her." she stated and saw him raise an eyebrow once again, "She's fine, don't worry."

"Alright, as long as I can see her later." he strained a smirk, relaxing his face.

He muttered almost too soft for her to hear but she did. Haruna gave her husband another kiss before moving towards the door. She turned back to look at him with a sly smile which of course he didn't notice. Pausing a moment as if to think the matter over, she saw that he was still sitting there with his head bowed.

"I'll be back in a few minutes sweetheart, get some rest."

With that she walked through the exit, turned around and slid the door closed behind her.

Walking a few feet from the door she turned the corner grumpily, scratching her long red hair.

'I've got to find that girl. Where could she be?' she thought biting her lip, 'Hinata must have taken her some place. That little runt is getting on my nerves.'

The red head woman continued to walk down the corridor that lead to the downstairs kitchen when without warning a servant girl passed by and accidently bumped into her. She growled at the young girl before grabbing her harshly by the arms.

"Listen to me I want you to find out immediately where Hinabi is and bring her here now. I don't care where you have to look, just find her!!"

"Yes madam."

"IMMEDIATELY!!"

She screamed as the young girl scrambled out of the house as quickly as her little legs could take her. Haruna glared at the servant girl's back as she slowly drifting out of sight. She sneered in anger wondering how she would be able to explain things to her husband if he found out about this.

~*~IN THE FOREST~*~

"Here's a safe spot." Shino replied, jumping from a tree branch.

There was silence as the other ninjas followed their leader. The tall young boy known as Shino then turned his attention to his teammates for the mission and frowned, his long cream and black cloak blowing lightly in the wind. Mr. Tsukino could be seen on the far end walking into the clearing.

'Now, how am I suppose to do this?' he thought, remembering the words that the Hokage had said, 'I know what to do. Let's just hope there's no confusion that will follow.'

He eyed his teammates and tried to assess the situation at hand. What could be done that would not cause things to go down hill? They had been travelling for hours and it was now almost night time. They still had almost a half day journey before reaching the Land of Tea and then finding the orphanage. Shino thought it would be best to set up camp first then assign who would take part along with Hinata in being parents of the so called child. After a few minutes when the tents were finally up he turned to them. Everyone was standing except for Hinata, who was sitting on a log obviously tired.

He frowned, eyeing his dark purple haired friend. She looked absolutely nervous and tired for some reason but he figured it was because she was in the presence of Naruto. Unfortunately, she had not been teamed up with him for quite some time since his return back to the village from his three year training with Jaraiya. But he knew deep in his heart that no matter what she said or did, she still cared for the crazy boy. He cleared his throat getting the attention of his comrades.

"This part of the mission is not really an issue for me. But who wants to be the parents?"

There was immediate silence. Shino didn't know what to take of it but he eyed Ino first, then Kiba, Sakura, Naruto and lastly Hinata. His dark purple haired friend was to be the baby as suggested by the Hokage but he couldn't think of anyone to assign as parents, deciding it was best for them to just choose on their own.

"I do. Sakura and I will do it!!!" Naruto yelled hugging onto his pink haired friend mercilessly.

He broke the uneasy silence catching Sakura off guard and almost causing her to fall to the grass. The other young ninjas turned towards the twenty one year old knuckle head ninja and frowned. Sakura punched him lightly and he grinned barely feeling the effects of the punch.

'Way to make things real obvious Naruto.' Kiba thought, scratching his short brown hair, 'Now Hinata's gonna get all depressed again.'

'I wonder what Naruto's thinking by doing that?' Ino thought, biting her lips, 'Does he like Hinata and is trying to make her jealous? If so, it's not gonna work. Hinata's not going to fight for something that doesn't belong to her.'

"Alright then. If you agree Sakura we'll begin first thing in the morning with the implementation."

"I agree." She muttered while the others nodded in response.

They all moved to gather around the light fire that Kiba had created and sat down on the grass. Hinata watched as everyone sat around the fireplace, Naruto next to Sakura, Ino next to Kiba and Shino while she was on the opposite side by herself as if she was a lone ranger. Mr. Tsukino wasn't too far from her however. She immediately sprang to her feet while the others turned their attention to her. She let off a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to the river to freshen up." she whispered, refusing to make eye contact with her teammates.

Shino arched an eyebrow through his dark shades.

'What's she up to?'

"Hinata, the river is too far from here. I think you should wait until morning."

"No!!" she blurted out shocking them. Placing her hands to her mouth, she sighed and then turned fully to Shino, "I just need some time alone. I'll be safe, I promise Shino."

She smirked as he thought the matter over. After a few seconds he agreed.

"Thank you Shino." she whispered, waving goodbye to her teammates with a smile.

She walked away then began sprinting towards the river. When Shino thought she was out of sight he issued for Kiba to follow.

"Follow her but keep out of sight."

"Right."

There was a long pause after the two left the group. Everyone was thinking about the mission and also what was up with Hinata. Something just wasn't right. Sakura and Ino began whispering and talking among themselves while Shino and Naruto sat on opposite sides of the fire glaring at it. Suddenly Naruto stood up.

"I'm going to the river too." he muttered in an angry tone.

"No way, we're all sticking together." Shino stated harshly, refusing to look at Naruto, "Besides, it's going to get dark soon."

The blond haired boy folded his arms and frowned, "Well if that's true. Then why did you let Hinata and Kiba go?"

The clad shaded boy turned toward Naruto almost irritated.

"Because…" he paused.

'Because I know that something is bothering Hinata and it's best to give her some space at this time.'

"Because what? Is she and Kiba a couple or something?" he asked, anger could be heard trailing heavily in his voice.

"Naruto…would you calm down a minute?" his pink haired friend asked, making her way to her feet.

"No way. I just want to know what's going on." he started, pushing Sakura's hand off of his shoulder.

The brown haired young man made his way to his feet silently. He adjusted his shades in annoyance by Naruto's outburst and decided to set him straight.

"First off, you'll have to ask Hinata if she's dating Kiba…" he stated in a monotone accent, "…and secondly Hinata's my teammate and I know her enough to know when something is bothering her. Right now she's going through something and I think it's best to just give her some space. Kiba's just there to ensure that she's not in danger. I think its best that you conserve your energy and wait until they get back."

"Come on Naruto, just sit down."

The blond haired young man growled before plopping down on the grass with his arms folded like a little child. He didn't believe him one bit.

"Alright…whatever."

"I'll be the lookout for now."

Mr. Tsukino could be seen standing on the side as if in a daze. Shino frowned and walked towards a tree. He then proceeded to jump onto it.

'I hope everything is alright with you, Hinata.'

~*~LEAF VILLAGE~*~

Neji Hyuuga trotted slowly down the dirt road with a frown plastered heavily on his face. He didn't like this one bit. First he had to go to the hospital to check up on Hanabi and see how she was doing, then he had to run errands for Tenten and that took up almost all of the day. Finally when he thought he had time for some training, he had to rush towards Hinata's former sensei's address to check up on her. He mumbled to himself wondering why he had even bothered to listen when Hinata had asked, or more in a sense begged him to see how her teacher was doing. After all, she was all alone in her condition and was secluded from everyone. She had frequent visits in the day by doctors but at night, she was mostly at home alone.

'She better be here and not out taking a walk.' he thought miserably.

The brown haired man knocked on the door lightly. He waited a few seconds but heard nothing. Feeling a bit anxious, he slowly turned to knob to see that the door was not locked but open. He pushed the door and walked into the house not forgetting to close it behind him. It was quiet and appeared to be empty. Scanning the room he could see that nothing was out of place but he couldn't help the eerie feeling he was getting as if something was wrong. Walking down the hall, he passed the kitchen on his left and another room further down. After a few seconds he made his way into the living room, clothes could be seen on the chairs and a few toys lay on the floor. The room was medium sized room big enough for a family.

"Kurenai…" he called but got no answer, "Kurenai-sensei, are you in here?"

He walked a bit further into the living room while his mid back brown hair moved from side to side. Neji came close to the sofa from his right and saw a hand laying face up on the wooden floor. He immediately rushed over to see Kurenai lying on the floor as if unconscious. Kneeling before her, he slowly placed his arms under her back for support, making sure to not hurt her in the process.

"Kurenai-sensei…" he whispered, as she slowly opened her eyes, "What happened?"

She groaned as she leaned in his arms for support.

"I tripped on one of Akira's toys and fell hard on the floor."

He grunted feeling her weight press down on his arms.

"Let me help you to the couch." he stated sternly.

Slowly, he strained to get her on her feet. Her condition made it even worse for him to get her up. After a few seconds he got her to the couch. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he let out a deep sigh.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

She nodded, her face showing that she was still in pain.

"Well Hinata wanted me to check up on you and make sure you were feeling alright." he started, scanning the room for any intruders, "She's on a mission and should be back in a few days."

She smirked at him, "Thank you Neji."

The silver purplish eyes man frowned. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in his nerves. He glanced around and then turned back to the black haired woman. She was groaning a bit and had her right hand placed on her large stomach. Breathing deeply he could see sweat rolling off of her face. Her shoulder length black hair stuck to her face.

"Right, thanks a lot." she let out a deep sigh, and then in took a deep breath, "Uh oh."

"What? What is it?"

She giggled a little not believing her circumstance.

"This can't be happening…I-I think my water just broke."

Neji froze in his position. Her what just broke? Her water? The tall young man could only stand still as if in a daze. He didn't come here for this. He only came to help out his cousin whom he should've just ignored but no he decided to be nice and help her out by visiting her sensei for her. Look how great that turned out to be.

'This is not my day.'

"Neji!!!" she screamed, taking him out of his trance, "I said that I'm going to have this baby!!"

He remained silent not knowing what to do. Sure he learnt the basics in the academy about child birth but this was real life and a totally different experience nonetheless. He knelt before her obviously nervous but tried his best not to show it. He took her hand in his trying to reassure her that everything would be alright.

"I'll get Lady Tsunade to come, just hold the baby in for a few minutes, alright?"

Kurenai gave him a harsh glare. Hold the baby in? Was he serious?

"Are you out of your mind?" she screamed harshly into his ear, "You're not going anywhere!!"

"Kurenai…I'll get help. I won't take long I promise."

"NOOOOOO!!"

She screamed loudly into the dark night.

~*~BY THE RIVER~*~

Hinata stopped by the edge of the water panting heavily. She had just been running for almost ten minutes when she finally made it to the river. It wasn't as big as she had expected it to be but it held a calming mood to it. Taking off her black ninja sandals, she slipped into the clear water. It was cold that she could tell but she tried her best not to show how much it was bothering her. Lifting up her pants leg, she walked deeper into the lake until it reached her hips.

'What am I going to do? It's so depressing being on this mission with Sakura and Naruto.' she thought bitterly, closing her eyes as the wind blew through her hair, 'I can truly see that Sakura is starting to look at Naruto differently, maybe even have feelings for him and plus Naruto's affections for her are so obvious it's making me so sad. I know I have to leave this village soon but this is almost too much to deal with right now.'

She sighed and made her way back to the shore. She sat down on the grassy bed of the shore and took her ninja backpack off of her shoulders. Sighing, the dark purple haired girl took out a towel from her bag and wrapped it around her body, wiping her wet legs in the process. Placing her sandals back on her feet, she stared dully at the water watching the way the currents pushed the waves to and fro. The current wasn't too strong but she couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of it. Hinata let out a slight laugh at her stupidity.

'I'm so foolish to believe that Naruto would truly return my feelings after all these years. I'm not sure if he truly knows how I feel anymore but it doesn't matter because he loves Sakura even now. He said so himself.' she thought, as a tear dropped from her right eye, 'Plus, Father has already made his decision so I have no other choice but to comply.'

It rolled down her cheek and under her chin before falling onto her lilac and white jacket. She pulled her legs up under her chin and sighed. Just thinking about it was too much but she couldn't help it. The thought of spending the rest of her life with a stranger was horrible. She could almost deal with it if she was still to reside in the village but since she was to be sent away from her family and friends she didn't know how she would handle it when the day came. How could she tell Shino and Kiba? More importantly how would Naruto react? Would he even care? Her thoughts went back to the night when he stayed with her and hugged her refusing to let go. He was so kind and caring towards her that she almost felt like there was still hope that they could be together. But she was being hopeful for no reason. She knew for a fact that he only felt pity for her and that was the reason he had tried to figure out what was wrong. After that he had ignored her for two days, she knew now that nothing would ever be the same again.

She buried her face in her legs and began crying. No one was around so she wouldn't have to worry about anyone asking her any questions. Crying desperately she dug her nails into her pants leg. Luckily, it was a bit baggy and thick preventing her from harming herself. Just as she was pouring her heart out in tears she heard a twig snap. Gasping, she lifted up her head and activated her Byakugan on impulse. Turning around she found the culprit and then turned back towards the river.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, refusing to turn back around.

The figure sighed making his way out of the bushes. He walked a bit standing right beside her.

"Shino requested that I keep an eye on you." Kiba muttered, plopping himself down on the grass.

He smirked and then turned to look at his teammate. What he saw shocked him. Her eyes were a bright red and her pale face was completely flushed. He could see tear stains marked down both sides of her face and she looked as if she was about to faint. He frowned knowing that it had to be something quite serious to have her crying heavily like that.

'Must be Naruto.' he thought cautiously.

"So, you mind telling me what's bothering you so much?" he asked curiously, stretching his arms behind his back.

"Kiba…I…" she paused, thinking back on what happened last night before her mission briefing this morning.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

Hinata had just finished eating dinner when she made her way up the long stairs that led to the second floor. She saw her father walking slowly towards his study room. He looked as if he was in terrible pain but managed not to show it too much on his face. Holding onto his cane with great pressure he dragged his foot and body towards his destination. The young girl made her way onto the large platform before turning towards her father's retreating back.

"Father, may I have a word with you?" Hinata asked, breaking the silence on the floor.

Hiashi growled refusing to look his daughter in the eye. Besides, why was she bothering him now? Especially since he was having another one of his episodes? He suppressed a moan and let out a deep sigh.

"Hinata, I am busy. I don't have time for you to be bothering m-"

"It's about my betrothal." she whispered abruptly interrupting him and placing her right hand in front of her chest.

Her father stopped moving and turned around sharply. He glared dangerously at his eldest daughter before letting out a sigh. It was now or never, he had to come clean or at least listen to what she had to say even if he didn't want to or even cared.

"Follow me." he muttered.

The pair walked slowly into the large room known as the study room. Hinata took a seat in a chair that stood in front of a large oak desk while her father pulled out a chair behind the table and abruptly sat down. There was immediate silence as the two looked at each other. Hiashi opened a draw and pulled out a small folder. He wore a dark brown Yukata that trailed to his shin bone.

"This is your groom to be…" her father stated with a frown, "His name is Katsumi Miura. He is a high level ninja of the Land of Snow. He will make a fine husband for you, my daughter."

Hinata opened the folder and gazed at the man before her. He appeared to be in his mid twenties and had short dark black hair. His grey eyes looked stern in the picture and the young woman could see that this man could be a strict person highly depended upon heavy training and discipline just like her father. Hinata turned her attention back to her father and frowned. Ever since she found out whom she was to marry she had been completely miserable. However, she felt like she couldn't take hearing this anymore. She gulped and glared sternly at her father.

"No! I will not marry him."

Hiashi bit back his shock by laughing.

"Hinata do not try my patience. You will marry Katsumi."

She narrowed her eyes at her father and made her way to her feet. Letting out a deep sigh she looked him straight in the eye, her light blue kimono swishing as she moved in the chair.

"No. What's more important is your health and what is causing you to be that sick that you only have one month to live." she replied angrily, placing her two fingers on her father's forehead as if to calm herself.

Sadly she was trying to slow down one of his chakra points but it was far more difficult to get to them through his forehead. He glared at her and instantly knocked her fingers off of his forehead. Hinata gasped as her hand fell sharply on the desk and her face went forward. Her silver purplish eyes looked at her father a bit surprised, pain running through her hand. The young girl kept her gaze at her father's face while he looked at her without even blinking. He had gotten much older over the years and she was a bit shocked to see the heavy lines under his eyes. Most of the front of his hairline was practically gray but she knew he would dye them dark brown whenever he had to make public appearances. However since she had not spoken to her father two days ago it almost appeared as if he had aged even more in that short space in time.

The girl gulped when she felt her father push her by her forehead back into her chair. She grunted when she hit the hard surface with great pressure.

"Hinata…do not do that again." he growled closing his eyes.

The young girl gasped again this time in fear. Never in all her life had she seen him look at her like that, despite his harsh treatment to her as a child. He never gave her that specific gaze as if he would kill her in a split second. Hinata frowned. Was this what her stepmother was talking about? His blind rage? She held her wrist in pain trying to slow down her heart beat.

"My health is of no consequence to you." he began, letting off a deep sigh.

He could feel his blood pressure rising rapidly and his heart rate. He reached into the desk immediately for his pills and popped two in his mouth and quickly got a drink of water. He then turned back to her and sighed. His illness was the cause of this. Ever since he found out what had happened to him only one month ago he had been having episodes of anger and been violent towards people and that was not in his nature.

"Hinata…please do not challenge me." he began massaging his forehead, "You know that you are doing this for the good of the clan. Arranged marriages are a normal practice of this clan. Many have done it even I have."

She sneered at her father.

"Normal practice? Then why is Neji not married?" she frowned.

"Neji is of the branch clan and is not subjected to the standards that you are."

Hinata scoffed folding her arms.

"Father I wish for you to reconsider. It would be more beneficial for me to live in the Leaf Village and not be shipped off to some foreign country plus marrying someone from t his village who is used to our customs would be a great asset as well." she muttered dangerously ignoring the glare her father was giving her, "Please reconsider, this is really unfair and an injustice to me."

She whispered trying to calm herself down. Before she knew it two tears rolled down her cheek.

"Why must I sacrifice my life for the sake of the clan? What have they ever done for me?"

The dark haired man stared at his eldest daughter in compassion. He didn't want to say anything to let her know how much his heart was breaking at that very moment but he tried his best to keep a straight face. Answering her questions would only make him lose his focus and show his daughter how bad he felt about the situation she found herself in because of him.

"Hinata…" he began.

"Father please don't make me do this!!" she yelled getting out of her seat.

She began crying loudly while standing in front of the desk with her hands on the table. Shaking lightly she continued to cry.

"Enough!!" he yelled, cause his daughter to gasp, "Save your tears Hinata. Everything has already been arranged, there is nothing else for us to discuss. You will marry Katsumi and that is final!"

The dark purple haired girl stepped back and turned her back at her father heading towards the door. She stopped and turned back around. Hinata could see that her father was still staring at her sternly and had not moved from his position.

"Father…" she began, "Why are you always so cruel to me?"

"Because you are supposed to be the heir to the main branch but your skills have disappointed me numerous times that you are considered worthless to both me and the clan elders."

The young girl gasped once again in shock. She knew her father thought little of her but she didn't realize that he thought so little about her.

"But I've tried…I've tried to gain your approval countless times. I've even learnt some new jutsus. Why are you saying this? I've done all that I can to be a better ninja."

"That's enough Hinata."

"I'm never gonna be good enough for you, am I father?" a single tear rolled down her cheek once again, "What more can I give? Why can't you just accept me as I am?"

She gripped the door handle tightly fighting the urge of breaking down and crying on the wooden floor.

"Father please…" she choked out, "You'll kill me inside if I have to marry this man. I don't think I can-"

"SILENCE!!" he yelled, slamming his hand on the desk, "I will not tolerate insubordination from you my daughter. Now dry your tears and head to bed. This matter is over and a decision has been made. Deal with it!!"

Hinata huffed, wiping her tear stricken face. She turned to her father and looked at him with all the resentment she could muster. He never cared about her and never will.

"I HATE YOU!!" she yelled, quickly storming out of the room.

Hiashi stared at the empty spot where his child had just left. He sighed deeply bowing his head. The last person to have told him that was his first wife.

~*~END OF FLASHBACK~*~

"Hinata…" Kiba sighed, pulling the girl into his arms.

He still didn't quite get what was upsetting her but he knew it had to be more serious than Naruto not liking her. Besides, she was actually crying her heart out and clawing at herself. He had never seen her in this state before and he wondered if this was a regular occurrence he was not aware of.

"Everything will be alright," he whispered tapping her lightly on her back, "Hinata…you have to stop crying. You could make yourself sick."

Hinata nodded and stopped for a moment while pushing herself slowly out of her teammate's arms. They both got to their feet and the young girl tried her best to brighten herself up but it was no use. Kiba kept his arms around her trying his best to steady her as he took up her backpack.

"Let's head back, the others must be worrying." he stated and Hinata gasped, only realizing that it was already dark out.

Had she been crying that long? She stopped her teammate and turned around quickly.

"Kiba." she began in a slight whisper, "I'll follow after you. Go back without me, I don't want the others to suspect anything. Besides, I think I should try and wash my face and at least get rid of any signs that I was crying."

The young man before her paused as if thinking the matter over. He then nodded his head and placed her backpack on the grassy bed.

"Alright, just don't take too long."

"Thanks Kiba."

"Not a problem, Hinata." he stated giving her a kiss on the forehead before disappearing into the dark night.

After he was gone the young girl fell to her knees in front of the water and began washing her face. She couldn't tell how long she had been crying but she knew it was quite long and besides that she didn't want the others to start asking questions about her strange behavior. She almost felt guilty that she could not even confide in her teammate for some sort of advice, instead she had to face this alone. Hinata sighed when she felt her stomach growl. She had not eaten for most of the day, having her mind occupied with the events of her miserable life. It wasn't until she had finished drying her face when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She jumped upon impulse and whirled around.

"Hey...Nar-Naruto?"

"Here." he muttered, handing a small red apple to her.

She gazed at it stunned. Besides that Naruto sounded as if he was angry. She took the apple from his grasp a bit uncertain of whether to eat it or not.

"Naruto what are you-"

"Come on Hinata, you need to eat up. You've lost about ten pounds already!! You're practically falling away!!

He yelled waving his right hand in anger. Her eyes widen in fear.

'What?'

"Naruto, that's not true!!" she yelled closing her eyes and blushing deeply.

She rushed to her feet and staggered back a bit.

"You see what I'm talking about? You don't even have the strength to stand on your own two feet."

Hinata closed her eyes. She couldn't believe she was having this type of conversation with Naruto of all people. Besides, that why was he here? Was he spying on her?

"Why do you care? Since when did my health become your personal business?" she asked, bitterly.

Naruto scratched his blond hair and laughed off his shock. Never in his life had he heard the shy girl before him speak in such a manner towards him except for the last time he had apologized but this was becoming a regular occurrence to him.

"Hinata…" he began, unsure of what to say, "I'm just a bit concern. I thought you were over this situation and by the way I saw you hanging on to Kiba I figured that something must have seriously happened to you. Plus, since the mission started I haven't seen you eat at least once."

The young girl let out a deep exhale.

"Naruto…please just leave me alone." she stated, bowing her head, "I don't want your food and I don't need your sympathy."

She threw the apple onto the floor and stepped on it.

'Why am I saying this? I shouldn't be jealous that he loves Sakura.' she thought sadly, 'Besides, why would he like such a failure such as myself? I can't even get myself out of an arranged marriage.'

Naruto growled as he watched the squashed apple under Hinata's feet. When did she turn into this cruel person? What was really wrong with her?

'What's going on with her?'

"You're right. I shouldn't care. I'll just leave the healing process to your boyfriend, Kiba." he muttered, stomping away in anger.

Hinata couldn't tell if it was because he was angry or jealous. But she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was a bit jealous. And besides, when did she say that Kiba was her boyfriend?

'I'm so sorry Naruto. Maybe it's best that we never talk again. Best for my heart at least.' she thought looking into the dark sky, as a light breeze blew around her sending her hair high into the air.

Naruto: I can't believe this. What is going on with Hinata? She's continuously snapping at me! What did I do wrong and when did she get so angry and violent? Where's the shy Hinata I know? This mission is really crazy and here I was thinking it would be easy. What's a guy to do?

Hinata: Sukina, watch out!! (pushes the princess out of the way)

Naruto: Hinata get of the way!! (pushes Hinata and the princess out of the way)

Naruto: Here I am rescuing everybody and no one's rescuing me from Hinata's rage. Maybe if I tell her boyfriend, she'll leave me alone but why do the thought of that makes me a bit jealous. Why? Can anyone tell me?

Next time: Rescue the princess pronto

Well that's it for this chapter. It's pretty long and I had fun writing every aspect of it. Unfortunately, I haven't finished the next chapter but decided to post this one on my birthday which is today. Yay for me, Jan 11, 2010. Well, besides my childish antics, I hope you guys really enjoyed this chapter since it took me quite a few months to write it. You may even notice some changes and I've decided to change other stuff because of certain things that I've read in the manga but my story is not following the manga only certain aspects. I'll edit the previous chapter to reflect the changes I've made in this chapter. Leave a review and let me know your thoughts!!

Later

~**~PhantasyDreamer~**~